The present invention relates generally to the field of sound masking and more particularly to adaptive sound mask generation.
Humans have been masking their movement for thousands of years. During prehistoric times, humans quietly stalk their prey without making a sound. Stealth is the key to survival since it meant having a meal that night or the whole tribe going hungry. Modern day humans are fortunate that they do not need to forage for food or need to mask their footsteps. However, sound or noise does play an important role in today's modern society. For example, a group of students trying to study for the law school exams in the library can be distracted by the noise generated by the sound of the janitorial staff vacuuming the carpet 10 feet away. Considering another example, the sound of a tennis player hitting the ball can be masked so that an opponent is slow to react to the serve.